The term Rudraksha (Rudra i.e. Shiva + aksha i.e. eye) literally stands for the eyes of Lord Shiva or Rudra implying thereby that it was pleasant to the eyes of Lord Shiva, and hence so named in His honour. This reveals that the merit of Rudraksha beads were realized first by Lord Shiva Himself and He handed down the same to the benefit of the later generations.

It is not very difficult to recognize a real Rudraksha. On account of its increasing importance and price, it is made artificially also and these artificial Rudrakshas are also being sold in market. Artificial Rudraksha is often made from the wild berry seeds or nuts.But in these artificial Rudraksha, no facet can be made as real as the ones that are in the genuine ones and can easily be detected by an experienced eye .Here the facet (Mukh) means deep lining from the upper part to the lower part of Rudraksha. Looking at these deep linings-facets one can recognize real Rudraksha. There are many other criteria written to recognize Rudraksha, such as the sinking and floating of Rudraksha in the water and revolving between two coins. But it is not a correct criterion. Even an unripe but genuine Rudraksha may float in the water , and a non genuine ones made out of wood impregnated with lead may sink .Therefore, we should not bother about these suspicions and false notions.The Rudraksha should be brought seeing the faces of Rudraksha and from a genuine supplier. Generally there are various numbers of faces on a Rudraksha, from one faced to sixteen faced. .Generally five faced Rudraksha are found easily and abundantly .One faced Rudraksha round variety is found very rarely and its price is also too much. Most of these beads being circulated are fake ones made from berries and betel nuts and Areca nuts .Some have a stem implanted in them artificially to give a real
look . Some Giant sized beads are sold as 1 mukhis which are manufactured ones .Also some suppliers sell fake 1 mukhis which have Serpent, Trishul , Lingam etc carved on them . These are also fakes . A real Rudraksha does not have these markings .Rudraksha having 2,3,4,6,7, or 8 faces is found very often but its price is more than the five faced Rudraksha's.Fake Rudraksha are generally found in very high mukhi beads also , like 21 mukhi , where artificial lines are carved on nuts .Also some scrupulous people fake Gauri Shankar Rudraksha by gluing together two Rudraksha beads . But these can be again detected by little experience and awareness .Please note that the idea of informing about Fake Rudraksha is not to scare away people , but to make them aware . Generally Rudraksha sold are genuine as they are available in plenty naturally. It is only in the case of rare Rudraksha that fakes are sold to satisfy the increasing demand by unscrupulous people . It is to be noted that the market price of Rudraksha does not affect its religious or spiritual importance or medicinal value. Thus there is no link or connection between the price of Rudraksha and its religious, spirituals and medicinal importance. It has also many sizes and shapes. Its
seeds are often round but exceptionally they are found long, semi circular, convex and flat. There is a variety of Rudraksha which is convex and flat . These are not from Nepal and are called Bhadraksha and are considered inferior to Rudraksha .Rudraksha are available in big as well as small sizes.Big Rudrakshas are easily available but small ones are found in less number.The smallest Rudraksha has the size equal to black pepper. Its gradually bigger sizes are equal to big peas, plum and amla.It is believed that the mala of the smallest beads is better than that of any other size.It is also very easy to wear but it is difficult to find. Therefore, its price is very dear.It is very uncomfortable to wear the mala of big beads but it is comfortable when it is used to count mantras .Also big sized Rudraksha are kept in Prayer room . As lightening arresters are installed in buildings to save them from lighting, Rudraksha protects the body from outside influences, mental shocks, heart problems and stress. The electro-magnetic waves in the life form may be responsible for amazing powers of Rudraksha discovered several thousand years ago.